


Stars in His Eyes

by warqueenfuriosa



Series: Pretty Boy, Don't Be Shy [2]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Angst, Bodhi is such a sweet sappy boyfriend, Drama, Everybody Lives, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Reader-Insert, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-26
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-16 19:29:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9286664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/warqueenfuriosa/pseuds/warqueenfuriosa
Summary: When Reader runs into trouble, Bodhi doesn't hesitate to protect her.





	

Once Bodhi and I were back on base, our time was not our own anymore, and yet we fell into a comfortable rhythm. Sometimes it wasn’t easy, not seeing him for days or even weeks at a time, but then he would breeze by with a kiss to my cheek and a smile bright enough to rival a thousand suns and the sting of missing him vanished in an instant.

A few weeks after visiting Corellia, I was pulling apart an ion engine in the docking bay during a rare moment of relative peace. Engine parts were lying all around me and I was coated up to my elbows in grease when Bodhi wrapped his arms around me from behind and pressed a kiss to my ear.

“Hi,” he whispered.

“Hi,” I replied, leaning back against him. “I was beginning to think you might have forgotten all about me.”

“I would never forget you, love.”

His lips barely trailed over the curve of my neck and I hitched my shoulder up with a small sound of surprise.

“That tickles,” I said.

He paused and I could feel the grin slowly spreading across his face.

“Flyboy,” I said in a mock warning tone. “Don’t you dare.”

His hands tightened at my waist and I could tell he was thinking about it. I took advantage of his hesitation and twisted around to face him, holding my greasy hands up.

“I’ll get you all dirty,” I said, wiggling my fingers.

“I really don’t care.”

He hooked an arm around me, his hand sliding up my back for support as he kissed me, bold and confident now after repeatedly stealing kisses as often as he could once we returned from Corellia.

“And to think,” I said, “you used to be shy.”

He laughed softly and pressed his forehead to mine. My hand strayed to his side, curled into his t-shirt and tugged him closer.

“When can I take you off world again?” he said.

I sighed. “At least another week from now. Maybe two. A few mechanics are out sick and I’ve got more work than I can keep up with.”

“Then let me help.”

“No, you have too much going on as it is.”

“But – “

“Nope.”

He made a tiny growl of frustration and I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

“I wouldn’t mind a little hint though,” I said. “Where are you planning on taking me this time?”

He opened his mouth then snapped it shut with a teasing glint in his eye.

“No, I think you’ve got too much going on as it is.”

I squinted at him. He tipped his head forward, his lips brushing against mine as he kissed me through his smile, warm and light.

“It’s a good thing you’re cute, flyboy,” I said.

He grinned and slipped his hand around to rest at the small of my back. “Let me help and I’ll give you a hint.”

I opened my mouth to protest when movement behind him made me stop. K2 was standing off to the side, staring at us. I poked Bodhi and nodded towards the droid.

“That’s disconcerting,” I said.

Bodhi glanced over his shoulder then huffed. “What is it, K-Two?”

“The captain sent me to fetch you but I can tell him you are otherwise indisposed if you wish.”

“No, just...make some noise or something next time, okay? How long have you been standing there anyway?”

“I don’t want to know the answer to that,” I said.

“Give me a few more minutes, K-Two,” Bodhi said. “I’ll be right there.”

K2 showed no inclination to move until Bodhi pointed.

“Go. Away.”

K2 shuffled off to the entrance of the docking bay and waited at the door. Bodhi blew out a breath of frustration as he returned his attention to me.

“Sorry, love,” he said, brushing his thumb over my chin. “I’ll make it up to you later, I promise.”

“I’ll hold you to that, flyboy.”

He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear before his hand came to rest against my cheek and he kissed me one last time, lingering a moment or two, before he pulled away with a sigh. He headed for the door then stopped and turned around.

“Here’s your hint,” he said.

I raised my head in acknowledgement, waiting.

“It’s not Corellia,” he said.

“That isn’t a hint.”

“I wasn’t finished.”

I clamped my mouth shut.

“It’s a moon, a small one,” he continued. “As far as I know, it hasn’t been inhabited by any species.”

I raised my eyebrows. “So we’ll be the only ones there?”

“No interruptions. Just you and me.”

I bit my lip but I couldn’t stop the smile spreading across my face. “Which moon is it?”

He shrugged. “You’ll have to wait to find that out.”

“Now you’re just being mean, flyboy.”

He laughed as he followed K2 out the door.

[][][]

Two weeks later, I finally caught up with all my work. I was filthy from head to toe but I headed off to find Bodhi right away. The faster I found him, the faster we could get to that deserted moon and have a few blessed hours to ourselves.

But he was nowhere to be seen. His quarters were empty. He wasn’t in the docking bay. I knew he hid out in some of the storage rooms with the cargo on occasion, especially when people wouldn’t stop asking him questions about Scarif and he needed to get away for a little while. But he wasn’t there either.

After almost an hour of searching, I decided to start over and checked his ship again. Bodhi was tucked all the way in the back, his head resting on his knees, his fingers interlaced over his neck as if he was physically holding himself together by sheer willpower.

“Bodhi?” I whispered.

His head snapped up and he winced at the motion, rubbing his forehead. I crept a little further into the ship towards him.

“Are you okay?” I said.

He closed his eyes and gave a heavy, tired sigh. “No,” he said.

“Is there anything I can do?”

I reached out but he shifted away and I let my hand drop.

“Please don’t,” he said, his voice raspy and low. “Just…need some time to myself for a while.”

“Are you sure? I’m done with all my work and we could –“

His eyes flashed and I flinched.

“I said leave me alone,” he repeated, an undeniable sharp edge to his tone that sounded foreign coming from him.

I pulled back, heat flushing up my neck. “All right. I’m going.”

As I turned to the door, for a split second, I caught a glimpse of Bodhi softening with regret at his harshness. But before he could say anything, I was already on the move. He wanted to be left alone and I was going to give him that until he sorted out whatever the hell was bothering him.

[][][]

It took Bodhi an entire twenty-four hours to work up the courage to approach me again. My free time didn’t last long when a ship was scheduled to take off and the hyperdrive wouldn’t respond. So I threw myself into my work again and tried not to think of Bodhi cutting me off or the look in his eye when he turned on me because every time it came to mind, my stomach surged up my throat and I felt a little sick. I hoped it wasn’t my fault, whatever it was. And I really didn’t want to hold a grudge against him when he was obviously burdened with so much responsibility during a time of war.

But the hurt was still there, sizzling below the surface, demanding to be felt no matter how often I shoved it down again and again.

A light knock drew my attention and I looked up to see Bodhi standing just outside the doorway to the ship. His shoulders were hitched up around his ears and his hands were shoved in his pockets, making him look like a guilty little boy in trouble.

“Hi,” he said, very carefully. “Do you have a minute? Can we talk?”

I glanced at him then grabbed my laser calipers and turned back to the hyperdrive unit. “That depends on you,” I said.

He shuffled in place for a minute. It almost seemed like he was about to take a step inside the ship before he shook his head and remained where he stood.

“I owe you an apology,” he said. “For how I acted yesterday.”

“You asked to be left alone and you have every right to it.”

“Not like that I don’t.”

I blew out a breath and let my hand drop, my forehead pressed to the hyperdrive unit.

“First, stop hanging around outside,” I said. “You’re making me nervous. This isn’t my ship. You don’t need my permission to enter.”

He nodded and stepped inside but he didn’t move away from the threshold. He just kept standing there. I turned and pointed to a chair.

“Still making me nervous,” I said. “Sit.”

He perched on the very edge of the chair and I bit back a small noise of frustration. He hesitated, looking everywhere and anywhere in the ship except me. I focused on the hyperdrive unit again, giving him time to talk when he wanted to.

“I shouldn’t have snapped at you,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”

The laser calipers slipped and seared into my finger. I hissed through my teeth, swearing under my breath. Bodhi came up out of his chair, concern shadowing his eyes, but I cut a sideways glance at him and he sank back down again. I shifted around to face him and tossed the calipers aside.

“Whether you want to talk or not,” I said, “that’s your decision. But you need to answer one question for me.”

“What?”

“Did I do something to upset you? Because if I did – “

“No,” he cut in, horror creeping across his face. “No, absolutely not. It wasn’t you.”

I studied him for a moment before I finally felt the tension in my body ease after being locked up tight for the past twenty-four hours.

“Then what the hell is going on, Bodhi?” I said gently. “If I’m treading some invisible lines here that I shouldn’t be crossing, you need to tell me because I can’t see them.”

Bodhi opened his mouth then dropped his gaze and looked away. I shook my head and picked up my calipers again. A full two minutes later, Bodhi finally spoke.

“I get these…headaches,” he said.

“I’m sure plenty of other people do too. A visit to the med bay and some pain killers should clear that right up.”

“I’ve tried that, believe me. Nothing seems to work.”

My fingers inched a little further into the hyperdrive unit, searching for the power flux connectors that had drifted out of place.

“So what causes them?” I asked, my voice muffled slightly from my face pressed up against the side of the unit.

“Scarif,” he said so quietly it was merely a puff of air in the silence.

I went still then straightened up to look at him. He stared at the floor, his arms braced on his knees, his shoulders hunched over as if that one word was too monumental of a burden to carry. Every muscle in my body strained to reach out and comfort him but I had to make sure I wasn’t invading his space again, especially where Scarif was concerned. He avoided the topic so thoroughly, I couldn’t push him on this. So I stayed where I was and didn’t move.

“Bodhi?” I whispered.

He pressed his fingers to his eyes then held his other hand out to me. I crossed the ship and wrapped my arms around him. He pulled me onto his lap, his face buried in my shoulder, his breath coming in short, tight little bursts.

“I’m so sorry, love,” he rasped. “I never meant to hurt you. I just…can’t stop thinking about what happened over there and the last thing I’d ever want to do is put those images in your head too.”

“But shutting me out won’t solve anything.”

“I didn’t…” He stopped and sighed.

“I understand though. Or I’m trying to.”

He pulled back to look up at me.

“I may not like it,” I continued. “This…taboo topic I’m not supposed to touch. It drives me crazy that I can’t do something to make things easier for you. But…” I hesitated and nodded slowly, trailing my hand over his shoulder and down his arm to rest at the crook of his elbow. “It upsets you. I can see that. If you don’t want me to know something…I believe you and I trust your reasons.”

He placed his hand over mine and let out a shaky breath of relief.

“Every time someone asks me about Scarif,” he said, “it’s always…glorified. It was ugly and brutal and no one seems to get that. And I really can’t stand to talk about it anymore.”

“It’s clearly bothering you though. Not talking about it.”

“I’ve lived through it once. Wasn’t that enough?”

“You haven’t stopped reliving it, that’s the problem. It’s part of you now. It will always be in your head and trying to ignore it probably isn’t a good idea.”

My chest ached at the look in his eyes then, like a trapped and frightened animal, terrified that there was no way to escape.

“Bodhi,” I said, interlacing his fingers with mine. “Have you asked them?”

“Who?”

“Your team. Rogue One. Have you asked them how they’re handling Scarif?”

His eyes widened a fraction of an inch and he shook his head. “No. God, no. They don’t talk about it. None of them do.”

“Maybe you should give it a shot. Especially with someone who’s been through the same thing.”

He groaned and dropped his forehead to my shoulder. “Do I really have to?”

I rested my cheek against the top of his head, my fingers stroking down the back of his neck. “It’s your choice, flyboy. But it might help, even a little.”

He hummed and kissed the curve of my throat. “I missed that,” he mumbled against my skin.

“What?”

“Flyboy.”

He studied me for a moment and his eyes darkened slightly with concern and a faint spark of tentative hope.

“Are we good?” he said.

I brushed my fingers over his cheek and raised an eyebrow. “Maybe.”

He hesitated. “Did I…forget something?”

I smiled and shook my head. “You didn’t forget anything. But I’ve been stuck on this hyperdrive for hours and I’m still not sure what’s wrong with it. I could use a second opinion…if you’re up for it?”

“You don’t even have to ask, love,” he said, tipping his chin up to kiss me. But I put a finger to his lips to stop him.

“When we’re finished, you’ll talk to your team, right? Or someone? Anyone? Please?”

He nodded and kissed my fingertip. “Yes. I promise. I may not be looking forward to it but…I’ll do it.”

I took his hand and pulled him across the ship to sit on the floor next to me in front of the hyperdrive unit. Get his hands busy. Get him laughing. Distract him for a little while from the ghosts in his mind he couldn’t escape. As I retrieved my calipers, he reached out and cupped my cheek in his hand, his thumb smoothing over my skin. Surprised, I glanced up at him and he smiled, soft and gentle.

“Just a spot of grease,” he said.

I placed my hand over his and curled my fingers into his palm.

“You’re a terrible liar, flyboy.”

He drew me close and kissed the side of my head.

“Guess I’m still trying to figure out what I did to deserve you.”

I slid my arm around his waist and nosed at his jawline. “I just want to make sure you’re all right, Bodhi.”

“I know, love. Thank you for looking out for me.”

I lingered there a few minutes more, my eyes closed, listening to his breathing, so steady and even and calm compared to how agitated he had been earlier.

“I’ll talk to the others tonight when we’re done here,” Bodhi said. “Would you…be free tomorrow? To go off world?”

“Even if I have to ditch a mountain of work, I’ll be ready to go.”

[][][]

Bodhi was waiting for me in the loading bay the next morning bright and early. He looked like a completely different person than he was yesterday as he sat outside his ship, fiddling with some small mass of wires and circuits and buttons. It didn’t look like he was really paying attention to what he was doing, probably only using it as an excuse to keep his hands busy. His shoulders were a little straighter though, not as burdened as before. And he wasn’t trying to hide despite a few people walking by and making passing comments to get his attention.

“Hey flyboy!” I called, making my way towards him.

His head snapped up and a smile burst across his face. A flutter of relief took wing in my chest at how much…lighter…he looked. Whatever he was going through, I knew it wasn’t over, but at least he wasn’t trying to fight it on his own anymore.

Bodhi tossed the mass of wires and circuits inside the ship and hurried towards me. I picked up my pace a little faster, almost at a run now and when he caught me in his arms, I felt my toes leave the floor just an inch or two.

“I take it that’s a good sign,” I said.

He set me down on the ground again and tipped his forehead against mine with a sigh.

“A very good sign.”

“So it wasn’t as horrible as you thought it would be?”

He hesitated with a wince. “At first it was awkward but…I’m glad I did it.”

“And you’re up for today? Because if you’re not – “

“I am,” he rushed in. “More than ready.”

I squinted at him. “Are you sure?”

He grinned as he leaned in and kissed me, just barely nipping at my bottom lip, mostly a shy, tentative bump of his teeth but there was a little bold bite beneath it too.

“Well that’s definitely a yes,” I said, smiling against his mouth and nipping back at him.

Bodhi’s gaze shifted over my shoulder and swore under his breath.

“What are you…?” I stopped when I turned to see K2 searching the docking bay.

I gave Bodhi a gentle shove.

“Go,” I whispered. “He hasn’t seen us yet.”

Bodhi wavered for a moment but before he could let duty dig its claws into him again, I crowded him backwards, peppering him with kisses as laughter bubbled up between us. We practically stumbled over each other as we climbed into his ship and shut the door. I peered over the console and just as K2 spotted us, Bodhi got the ship started and buzzed out into the sky.

Once we were a safe distance away from the base, he reached across and interlaced our fingers together, drawing my hand towards him.

“Come here,” he said softly.

I glanced at him and stuck my thumb under my straps. “But what about…?”

“It’ll be fine for a few minutes while you fly the ship.”

I bit my lip against the hiccup of excitement rising in my throat as he pulled me onto his lap. He laid his hands over mine and guided my fingers over the console. His chest was pressed to every inch of my back, solid and warm, his chin tucked over my shoulder. Then he placed an airy kiss to my neck and I smiled.

“I don’t mean to ruin the mood or anything,” I said, slowly, teasing, “but couldn’t I steer from the co-pilot’s seat?”

He hummed against my shoulder. “Probably.”

Another kiss, tucked behind my ear this time. One hand slipped from mine and strayed to my hip, resting so lightly I could barely feel him.

“What you’re doing is definitely not flying,” I said.

He trailed his lips over my shoulder at the strip of skin just above my shirt collar, right at that sweet spot he knew was ticklish and his breath of a laugh shivered over my skin, quiet and secret and a tiny bit mischievous. I made a small strangled noise in the back of my throat, trying desperately to focus on the console. But it was impossible with the way he tucked two fingers so very carefully into the collar of my shirt and pulled it aside, his lips following the path of his fingertips over my shoulder.

“I knew it,” I said.

“What?”

“You tricked me.”

“What? No I didn’t.”

“Yes you did. Just like on Corellia. Make an offer to teach me to fly when really…” I twisted around and kissed his cheek. “You mean something else entirely. You look so sweet and act all shy but really you’re just sneaky.”

“Not true. You’re…distracting.”

He straightened and smoothed my collar back into place. He put his hands on my waist and started to move me to my seat when I caught his hands and pulled his arms around me again.

“That wasn’t a complaint, flyboy,” I said. “I like distracting you.”

“You do?”

I nodded but before I could reply his gaze shifted past me and he squeezed my arm.

“Look, love,” he said.

Glowing in the velvety blackness of space was a brilliant blue and green moon, like a tiny marble floating in a pool of ink. Bodhi took my hands in his as I leaned back against him with a sigh, turning my head to nuzzle at his ear.

Neither one of us spoke for a while, watching the little moon spinning as we toyed with each other’s fingers. Bodhi’s body heat seeped into me and I could feel his heart beat at my back, a steady, even rhythm. There was nowhere to rush off to, nothing that demanded our attention. The war and its horrors were far away, pushed to the edges of that hazy, undefined distance where it couldn’t touch us, not here. This was ours, this single moment, suspended between us in the emptiness of space.

“We don’t have to go anywhere, you know,” I said, turning his hand over to study the landscape of muscles, tendons, and veins playing and shifting beneath his skin. “I could stay here for hours.”

“We might run out of fuel.”

“Don’t care.”

“We might crash.”

“Don’t care about that either.”

He laughed a little, a faint, deep rumble against my back.

“I think you might care eventually,” he said. “Besides, I’ve been planning this for weeks. You’re not about to weasel your way out of this one.”

Reluctantly, I returned to my seat as Bodhi guided the ship into the moon’s atmosphere. Stretched out before us was a jewel blue ocean with a burst of thick green foliage on the horizon, a single island amid the water.

As Bodhi steered closer, a sliver of beach came into view, pristine and pure, the pale white sands smooth, undisturbed. The ship was barely settled on the ground before I was out of my seat and out the door.

My boots sank into the pillowy sand as I jumped down from the ship. Waves rushed up to kiss the beach before tumbling back out to sea with a whisper. Bodhi came up next to me as I stood just at the water’s edge, the toes of my boots stained dark from the salty ocean. He barely hooked his fingertips with mine.

“How long have you been thinking about this?” I said.

“Before Corellia.”

“ _Before_ Corellia? You’ve practically had this in mind since we met?”

He nodded with a small, shy little smile creeping across his lips.

“So…skinny dipping was your plan all along?” I said, biting the inside of my cheek to keep a straight face.

And just like that, his smile vanished, replaced with panic.

“I… _what_?” he squeaked. “No, that wasn’t…”

I ducked my head to hide a giggle as I kicked off my shoes but it was too late and Bodhi saw it. He hooked an arm around my waist, holding me with surprising strength against his chest, and started hauling me towards the water.

“What are you doing?” I demanded, squirming against him.

He said nothing as he continued wading into the water until it was well past his knees.

“Bodhi Rook,” I warned, with no heat penetrating the laughter in my voice, “don’t you dare throw me in.”

For a split second, he almost seemed to hesitate. Then the moment was gone when he kissed the top of my head and tossed me in. I came up spluttering and splashed him as I threw my arms around his neck, sending us both toppling into the water.

After shoving him into the waves a few more times for good measure, I ran up on the beach and disappeared into the jungle with Bodhi chasing after me. The foliage was so thick, I could hardly move at times but it was perfect for doubling back around and giving him the slip.

I could just make out a flash of white sand as I made my way back to the ship when a hand clamped around my throat. My feet left the ground as I was rammed against a tree, pain flaring through every muscle in my body. A familiar hideous face grinned back at me. The Devronian from Corellia, the one that had threatened Bodhi.

“Not talking big now, are you?” he said.

I scraped at his fingers, struggling to pull in air despite the vise grip he had on my neck. Darkness began hemming the edges of my vision as my lungs burned for a breath, just one. I kicked at the Devronian and only managed to nick his hip but he easily regained his balance without letting up on me.

“When I’m done with you,” he continued, “I’m going to kill your pilot boyfriend, just like this, throttling the life out of him.”

I latched onto the Devronian’s face to go for his eyes and a wicked crack echoed through the air. He released me, stumbling to the side, holding the back of his head.

Bodhi stood there, thick tree branch gripped in both hands like a club, and a fire blazing in his eyes. The Devronian went for the blaster at his hip but Bodhi didn’t hesitate. He pushed into the Devronian’s space and brought his fist around in a sharp right hook. The Devronian’s head snapped to the side and he dropped flat on his back.

“Don’t ever touch her again,” Bodhi said in a low voice with the tiniest tremble to it, the only hint that there was still fear lingering somewhere inside him.

He caught my wrist and pulled me close for a moment, cradling my face in his hands.

“Are you okay?” he said.

I was still too preoccupied with gulping in sweet, fresh air to manage a reply but I nodded and clutched fistfuls of his shirt. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we hurried back to the ship and headed to base again. Bodhi kept stealing glances at me, checking to make sure I was all right.

“How the hell did he find us?” I croaked, my voice raw from nearly getting squeezed out of me.

“You told him off in front of everyone. Devronians don’t forget things like that. He’s probably been planning to take us out ever since Corellia.”

“That was weeks ago.”

Bodhi reached over and tipped my chin to the side. “You should go straight to the med bay when we get back.”

“I can breathe fine now. Just a little sore.”

“Still…”

That’s when I noticed the way he was handling the controls, not using his fingers on his right hand, only the heel of his palm. It was strange to watch, like he couldn’t get a good rhythm going.

“Bodhi?” I said. “What’s wrong?”

He followed my gaze to his hand on the console.

“Nothing.”

“Bodhi,” I repeated, sharper this time.

He stared at his hand for a minute and it seemed to finally, slowly sink in. The pain worked across his face, tightening the tendons in his neck, making the muscle in his jaw twitch.

“I might have hit him a little too hard,” he said.

“You did knock him out cold.”

“I think…I broke my hand,” he finished with a grimace and a small bracing intake of air.

I tucked my fingers into the crook of his elbow. “You’re going straight to the med bay when we get back.”

A small, barely controlled little laugh bubbled up his throat as he glanced at me. I tugged on his arm and he leaned over to kiss me, relief flooding off of him.

“Next time,” he said, “could you maybe not piss off the Devronian?”

“Sorry, flyboy, but I will if he talks to you like that again.”

He groaned. “You scare the hell out of me.”

“Yeah but you love it.”

He laughed again with more humor in it than panic this time. “I don’t actually. But I love you so I guess I’ll get used to it.”

A rush of heat blossomed across my face and I pulled away to look at him.

“What did you just say?”

“What?” he said a split second before realization struck him and his eyes widened.

“I think you know what.”

“I…I should…focus on flying.”

He turned back to the console but he didn’t take his hand away from me for the rest of the flight back to base.

[][][]

My trip to the med bay was uneventful and I walked away after only a few minutes with some bruising on my neck. Bodhi, however, had two broken fingers and the pain killers made him more than a little dizzy. I helped him back to his quarters and opened his door, easing him onto the edge of his bed.

“One day,” he said, “I’d like to take you off base and have nothing happen at all.”

“As long as I’m around, your life will always have more excitement than you bargained for. You should know that by now.”

He listed forward slightly as I slid his goggles off and set them aside. His fingertips trailed over my bruises and his eyes darkened. I placed my hand over his with a reassuring grip.

“I was so scared he was going to kill you,” he said softly, his gaze never leaving my neck, his fingertips never ceasing their memorization of the blossoming blue and purple marks.

“But you fought for me anyway.”

He raised his gaze to meet mine. I placed my hands on either side of his face and pressed a lingering kiss to his lips.

“And for that,” I said, “you will always be my hero, flyboy.”

Slowly, his hand drifted from my neck to my hip and I didn’t look away, a silent encouragement to keep going, that I wouldn’t stop him. Without a trace of hesitation, he drew me closer and I crowded into the space between his knees as he slid his hands beneath the hem of my shirt and pushed it over my head. His fingers skimmed over my stomach and up my ribs until I sucked in a breath at his feather light touch.

“That tickles,” I said.

He grinned and continued exactly what he was doing with an occasional soft kiss added, just to make me squirm even more. I placed my hands on his shoulders and pushed him back against the pillow as I hitched my knees up onto the bed, braced on either side of his hips.

Now it was my turn to skim my fingers beneath his shirt, slowly taking in each inch of skin I could reach before I tossed his shirt aside and kissed down his chest. He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and kissed me so lightly, so sweetly, despite the insistent pressure of his fingertips curled around the back of my neck.

“You don’t have to,” he said, “if you don’t want to. Just…so you know that. You don’t owe me anything or…”

He trailed off, searching my face, confused and anxious and hopeful all at once. I propped myself up to look at him.

“Bodhi,” I said. “Pretty sure this whole base knows how I feel about you but clearly I have to beat you over the head with it to make you understand.”

I cupped his face in my hands and leaned in close until we were only inches away from each other.

“I like you, flyboy,” I continued. “That’s why I’m here. Because you are gentle and kind and whether you agree or not, to me, you are brave for many other reasons besides Scarif.”

He brushed his thumb over my chin with a tentative smile. I took his hand and kissed his palm before I pressed his hand to my hip.

“Now if there’s one thing I’ve learned about you,” I said, scraping my teeth playfully over his jawline. “When your hands are busy and you’re laughing, you think a lot less. So get busy, flyboy.”

As he reached for me, I caught his injured hand at the wrist and pressed it to the bed again.

“Except that hand,” I said. “You’re not allowed to hurt yourself any further.”

He laughed softly against my mouth as his arm came around my waist and he trailed a finger up my spine. My eyes fluttered closed and a small sound of surprise fell from my lips. His hesitancy vanished and his gaze never left my face as he sat up and unhooked my bra, slowly sliding it away.

Then his mouth closed over my breast with hot, wet heat that made me arch against him, my fingers digging into his back and twisted in his hair. My grip on his injured hand loosened and he immediately took advantage of my distraction. He hooked his arm around me as his good hand slipped past the waistband of my pants and he curled two fingers into me. My mouth opened on a silent gasp as I buried my face in his shoulder, closing my eyes at the sharp scent of the ocean still clinging to his skin.

Bodhi spoke impossibly loud now with his hands and his lips and his eyes, dark, dark brown, pupils blown so wide I could drown in them if I didn’t look away. Every touch, every kiss was perfectly placed, coaxing me right up to the edge, always gauging my reaction.

I wanted… _needed_ …to do the same to him, to leave him aching for more the way he was doing to me. But when I reached for him, Bodhi curled a third finger into me and the only thing I could do was cling to him, my body locked tight around him. There wasn’t an ounce of shyness, not a tremble of timidity as he unraveled me beneath his fingertips.

Slowly, the room came into focus and I could breathe again.

“You’ve been holding out on me, flyboy,” I said, my voice raspy and hoarse.

Bodhi kissed the curve of my neck with a smile. I nudged at his ear with my nose as my fingers skated down his torso to unzip his fly. I peeled his pants off, kissed the hollow of his hip as I traced a line up the length of his cock with my fingertip. His whole body tightened and he bit his lip for a moment before he let out a shaky breath.

I placed one last kiss just above his heart before I made my way back up to him, brushing my nose against his.

“Are you okay, love?” he said, quiet and low. His good hand settled lightly around my wrist, to reassure me or himself, I couldn’t tell.

“Yes, Bodhi,” I said, touching my forehead to his. “I like you, remember? I want this.”

He was thinking up more protests, I could see it, working their way to the tip of his tongue. But before he could say anything, I kissed him firmly, without a hint of doubt, and sank down the length of his cock. He made the tiniest, strangled noise, his fingers digging into my waist. I rose up to sink back down and he gasped into my mouth as his hands flew to my face, palms warm against my cheeks, fingers buried in my hair.

Just as Bodhi had unraveled me minutes before, I watched as he slowly came undone beneath me. His hands never stopped moving across my skin, skimming over my hips and up my sides, cradling the back of my neck and brushing my chin before sliding over my breasts to my waist again.

My fingernails carved into him, my teeth teased at his bottom lip more and more with each kiss as I felt my body tightening again, that white heat coiling through every nerve, every muscle. But Bodhi’s touch never became anything more than whisper soft and light, as if he couldn’t believe that I was here in his hands.

My hips stuttered and Bodhi sat up in a heartbeat, wrapped his arms around me and thrust up into me. I latched onto his shoulders and my fingers locked in his hair as I felt myself come apart all over again, like a star collapsing, bursting into a thousand colors. He pushed one last time into me, as deep as he could go, exhaling my name against my collarbone with a shudder.

Neither one of us moved for several seconds as our breathing evened out. Bodhi’s hands resumed mapping my skin, familiar and easy this time instead of reassuring himself that I was still here. He slowly eased back down to the pillow and pulled the sheets around us, curled up facing each other. He kissed the back of my hand and sidled a little closer.

“I’m trying to decide,” he said.

“Decide what?”

“If I should ever take you off world again or keep you here where it’s safe.”

“Hey, I’ve had one flying lesson. I can go anywhere I want to all by myself now.”

“Doesn’t quite work that way.”

“I’ll give it a shot tomorrow.”

His grip on my hand tightened. “No! No, I don’t think so.”

I laughed softly as I kissed him. “I’m teasing you, Bodhi.”

He blew out a breath and smiled as he kissed me back. My fingers floated along the length of his jawline, tracing his features, and when he looked at me now, there weren’t just stars in his eyes anymore, there were entire galaxies.

“You’re a little starry-eyed there, flyboy,” I whispered, the words muffled and soft against his pillow, tucked close to his chest. “Some might say you look like a man in love.”

He kissed my forehead and pulled me into him, wrapping his arms all the way around me until I was surrounded by warm skin and the light rhythm of his fingertips gliding in lazy patterns over my back.

“Maybe that’s because I am.”

 

(To be continued...)


End file.
